thenhlfandomcom-20200215-history
2015 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2015 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the 2014–15 NHL season and the culmination of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. This was the 122nd year of the Stanley Cup's presentation. The Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two to win their sixth championship in franchise history, and their third title in six seasons. The Lightning (as the club with the better regular-season record) held home-ice advantage in the series. The best-of-seven series was played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format with Tampa Bay hosting games one, two, five and seven; and Chicago hosting games three, four and six. Tyler Johnson and Patrick Kane led the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs in points scored with 23 points each. The series started June 3, 2015 and ended on June 15, 2015. Teams Chicago Blackhawks This was Chicago's third Final appearance in six seasons; they won the Cup in both 2010 and 2013. This was their 13th appearance overall and they were seeking their 6th overall Cup championship. The Blackhawks entered the 2014 off-season after being eliminated in the Conference Finals in seven games by the eventual 2014 Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. Major free agent acquisitions during the offseason included center Brad Richards and winger Daniel Carcillo from the New York Rangers. Approaching the NHL trade deadline in early March, Chicago traded for defenseman Kimmo Timonen from the Philadelphia Flyers, center Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes and center Andrew Desjardins from the San Jose Sharks. Chicago finished in third place in the Central Division, earning 102 points (48 wins, 28 losses, and 6 overtime losses). Goalie Corey Crawford tied the Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price as the William M. Jennings Trophy recipient for allowing a League-low 189 goals during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Blackhawks eliminated the Nashville Predators in six games, swept the Minnesota Wild and defeated the Anaheim Ducks in the Conference Finals in seven games. The Blackhawks entered the Finals as the favorites due to their championship experience. Tampa Bay Lightning This was Tampa Bay's second Finals appearance after winning the Cup in 2004. Since their win in 2004, the Lightning lost in the Conference Finals in 2011 in seven games to the Boston Bruins. The Lightning were eliminated in the first round in 2006, 2007 and 2014. The Lightning entered the 2014–15 season with major re-signings during the off-season including center Tyler Johnson, wingers Ryan Callahan and Ondrej Palat & goalie Ben Bishop. In free agency, Tampa Bay picked up center Brian Boyle and defenseman Anton Stralman from the New York Rangers and Brenden Morrow from the St. Louis Blues. The team made two trades to bolster the defense, picking up Jason Garrison at the 2014 draft and Braydon Coburn just before the 2015 trade deadline. Tampa Bay compiled 108 points (50 wins, 24 losses and eight overtime losses) during the regular season to finish in second place in the Atlantic Division. Center and team captain Steven Stamkos finished second in goal-scoring during the regular season with 43 goals. Earlier in the season, head coach Jon Cooper nicknamed the team's second line of Johnson, Palat and winger Nikita Kucherov as the "Triplets" because they were so in sync; at the mid-season in January, the three players led the League in plus-minus. In the playoffs, the Lightning eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games, the Montreal Canadiens in six games, and the New York Rangers in the Conference Finals in seven games. They became the first post-1967 expansion team to beat three Original Six teams on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and the only team in NHL history to face an Original Six team at every stage of the playoffs. Series Game 1 :Chicago Blackhawks: 2 :Tampa Bay Lightning: 1 Game 1 began on June 3, 2015 at the Amalie Arena. In game one, Tampa Bay struck first with a deflected goal by Alex Killorn at 4:31 in the first period. The Lightning nursed the lead into the third period with a strong conservative defensive effort, but Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette scored 118 seconds apart to win the game 2–1 for the Blackhawks. By assisting on Vermette's goal, Teravainen became the second-youngest player (at 20 years and 265 days) in NHL history, after Jaromir Jagr had two assists in game one of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals (on May 15, 1991, at 19 years and 89 days), to have a multi-point game in the Stanley Cup final. Game 2 :Tampa Bay Lightning: 4 :Chicago Blackhawks: 3 Game two began on June 6, 2015 at the Amalie Arena. Jason Garrison's power play goal at 8:49 of the third period proved to be the difference in Tampa Bay's victory in game two. The Lightning's starting goaltender Ben Bishop had left the game moments earlier for undisclosed reasons and was replaced with Andrei Vasilevskiy. Because he was on the ice during Garrison's winning goal, Vasilevskiy was credited with his first playoff victory and became the first goalie to win a Finals game in relief since Lester Patrick helped the New York Rangers defeat the Montreal Maroons in overtime of game two of the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals, 2-1. Game 3 :Tampa Bay Lightning: 3 :Chicago Blackhawks: 2 Game 3 began on June 8, 2015 at the United Center. The series switched to Chicago for game three. There was some debate who would start for Tampa Bay, but regular starter Ben Bishop started the game for Tampa Bay. For the third time in a row, Tampa Bay struck first on Ryan Callahan's slapshot goal at 5:09 of the first. Brad Richards tied it up on a power-play goal and the teams were tied after the first period. The first period was dominated by Chicago, who outshot Tampa Bay 19–7. The second period was dominated by Tampa Bay, which outshot Chicago 17–7, but there was no scoring. In the third period, Brandon Saad gave Chicago its first lead at 4:14, but Tampa Bay countered on the next shift on a goal by Ondrej Palat to tie the score once again. Late in the third period, Victor Hedman led a rush down ice for Tampa Bay and passed to Cedric Paquette who scored to put the Lightning ahead again. The Lightning were able to defend their lead to win the game 3–2 and take a series lead two games to one. Game 4 :Chicago Blackhawks: 2 :Tampa Bay Lightning: 1 Game 4 began on June 10, 2015 at the United Center. The Lightning chose to rest injured goaltender Ben Bishop for game four in favor of rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Lightning protected Vasilevskiy with tight defensive play, allowing only two shots by the Blackhawks in the first period, which was scoreless. For the first time in the series, the Blackhawks scored the first goal, on a goal by Jonathan Toews at 6:40 of the second. Alex Killorn tied it for the Lightning at 11:47 and the game was tied 1–1 after two periods. In the third, the Blackhawks' Brandon Saad muscled his way to the goal and scored on a backhand past Vasilevskiy at 6:22 to put the Blackhawks ahead. The game's pace picked up as the Lightning tried to tie the score but the Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made several outstanding saves to shut out Tampa Bay the rest of the way. The win tied the series at two games apiece. It was the first time since 1968 that the first four Stanley Cup Finals games were all decided by one goal. Game 5 :Chicago Blackhawks: 2 :Tampa Bay Lightning: 1 Game 5 began on June 13, 2015 at the Amalie Arena. The series returned to Tampa for game five and Ben Bishop returned to the net for the Lightning. The Blackhawks scored first for the second consecutive game, this time on a miscue by Bishop and Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. The two of them collided and Patrick Sharp skated to the empty net with the puck, scoring at 6:11 of the first, a lead they held until 10:53 of the second when Valtteri Filppula scored to tie the score 1–1. The teams were tied going into the third, but Antoine Vermette scored for the Blackhawks at 2:00 of third and the lead held up as the Blackhawks played tight defence the rest of the way. The Blackhawks took the lead in the series three games to two, to give themselves a chance to win the Cup at home, something the franchise has not done since 1938. For the second time in Finals history and the first since 1951, wherein all five games that had to be played went to overtime, all games of the series through game five have been decided by one goal, with neither team leading by more than one goal. Game 6 :Chicago Blackhawks: 2 :Tampa Bay Lightning: 0 Game 6 began on June 15, 2015 at the United Center. In game six, the teams were tied 0–0 after the first period. In the first period, Steven Stamkos put a shot off the crossbar and was stopped on a breakaway early in the second by Corey Crawford, but it was the Blackhawks who scored first on a goal by Duncan Keith on a rebound of his own shot near the end of the second period to put Chicago ahead 1–0 after two periods. In the third period, the Blackhawks' Patrick Kane scored on a pass from Brad Richards and play by Brandon Saad to put the 'Hawks ahead 2–0, the first two-goal lead of the series. The Blackhawks then frustrated the Lightning the rest of the way to win the game 2–0, a shutout for Crawford and the Stanley Cup championship. It was revealed after the game that the Lightning's goaltender Ben Bishop had played with a torn groin muscle since game two and Tyler Johnson was playing with a fractured wrist, injured in game one. This was also the first time since 1938 (when they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth game of a best-of-five Finals at Chicago Stadium) that the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup on home ice. Series Quotes "They've waited a long time for this to be at home. Slipped in front and Crawford, another block. Five to go! For the third time in six years, the Blackhawks are Stanley Cup champions!" — Mike Emrick, final call made on NBC. "For the third time in six seasons, it's One Goal achieved! The Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup! The Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup! The Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup! The Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup! Lord Stanley, the Blackhawks organization along with the greatest fans in all of hockey welcome you back to your new home, Chicago, Illinois, in the U.S. of A!" — John Wiedeman, final call made on WGN (AM) "Countdown is on! 2015 Stanley Cup champions are the Chicago Blackhawks!"— Jim Hughson, final call made on CBC/Hockey Night in Canada. Rosters Chicago Blackhawks Tampa Bay Lightning Chicago Blackhawks: 2015 Stanley Cup Champions The 2015 Stanley Cup was presented to Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Blackhawks' 2–0 win over the Lightning in game six. Defencemen *2 Duncan Keith (A) *4 Niklas Hjalmarsson *5 David Rundblad *7 Brent Seabrook *26 Kyle Cumiskey *27 Johnny Oduya *32 Michal Rozsival *44 Kimmo Timonen *57 Trevor van Riemsdyk Wingers *10 Patrick Sharp (A) *11 Andrew Desjardins *13 Daniel Carcillo *20 Brandon Saad *23 Kris Versteeg *29 Bryan Bickell *42 Joakim Nordstrom *65 Andrew Shaw (1) *81 Marian Hossa *86 Teuvo Teravainen (1) *88 Patrick Kane Centres *16 Marcus Kruger (1) *19 Jonathan Toews © *80 Antoine Vermette *91 Brad Richards Goaltenders *33 Scott Darling *50 Corey Crawford Key *(1): Played both centre and wing Coaching and Administrative Staff *W. Rocky Wirtz (Chairman/Governor), John McDonough (President/Chief Executive Officer/Alt. Governor), Jay Blunk (Exec. Vice President) *Stan Bowman (Vice President/General Manager), Al MacIsaac (Vice President of Hockey Operations), Norm Maciver (Asst. General Manager), William Scotty Bowman (Sr. Advisor Hockey Operations) *Joel Quenneville (Head Coach), Mike Kitchen (Asst. Coach), Kevin Dineen (Asst. Coach), *Jimmy Waite (Goaltending Coach), Mike Gapski (Athletic Trainer), Troy Parchman (Equipment Manager), Jeff Thomas (Asst. Athletic Trainer) *Pawel Prylinski (Massage Therapist), Jeff Heintzleman (Asst. Equipment Manager), Paul Goodman (Strength & Conditioning Coach) *Matt Meacham (Video Coach), Pierre Gauthier (Director of Player Personnel), Mark Kelly (Sr. Director of Amateur Scouting) *Barry Smith (Director of Player Development), Ryan Stewart (Director of Pro Scouting), *Ron Anderson (Director of Player Recruitment) *Tony Ommen (Sr. Director of Team Services), Mark Bernard (Director of Hockey Administration/Rockford(AHL) General Manager), Dr. Michael Terry (Head Team Physician) Engraving Notes Antoine Vermette played 63 games for Arizona, 13 for Chicago, and 20 of 23 playoff games and played in the finals (qualified) Andrew Desjardins played 56 games for San Jose, 13 for Chicago, and 21 of 23 playoff games, and played in the finals (qualified) Trevor Van Riemsdyk only played 18 games, eight games for Rockford(AHL), injured while playing in the minors (Wrist) – played four games in the finals (qualified) Teuvo Teravainen played 34 games for Chicago, and 39 games for Rockfold (AHL), played 18 of 23 playoffs and played in the finals (qualified) Kimmo Timonen played 16 games for Chicago. Traded to Chicago from Philadelphia Feb 27, 2015. He did not play for Flyers this season due to a blood clot. Dressed for game six of the finals (qualified) Kyle Cumiskey played seven games for Chicago, played nine playoff games, included for playing all seven Conference Final games, two games in the finals (qualified). Daniel Carcillo was included because of injuries, spent whole season with Chicago only 39 games played, not dressed in the playoffs - with Chicago request. Joakim Nordstrom played 38 games for Chicago, 23 games for Rockford, played three playoff games, included for playing in one game in the Conference Final – with Chicago request. Scotty Bowman won his 14th Stanley Cup. Left off the Stanley Cup *Antti Raanta – played 14 games, and was dressed in 51 games for Chicago. He was sent to minors and played 11 games for Rockford(AHL). Raanta was sent to the minors on February 22, 2015 when Scott Darling was recalled. Raanta rejoined Chicago on April 12, but did not dress in the playoffs. Chicago did not request his name, so it was not included on the Cup. *D.J. Kogut (Equipment Asst.), Jeff Uyenko (Equipment Asst.) - All three were included on the team picture. *Clinton Reif (Asst. Equipment Manager) who died on December 21, 2014 was also left off. Reif is on the Cup with Chicago in 2010 and 2013. Television In the U.S., the Finals were split between NBC and NBCSN, called by NBC Sports' lead commentary team of Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk and Pierre McGuire; it was originally announced that games two and three were to be broadcast by NBCSN, with the remainder on NBC. Game two was moved to NBC to serve as a lead-out for its coverage of the 2015 Belmont Stakes in favor of game four on NBCSN. As Olczyk was also a contributor to NBC's Belmont coverage, he was absent during game two. In Canada, all six games were broadcast by CBC Television (through Hockey Night in Canada, as produced by Sportsnet through a brokerage agreement) in English, TVA Sports in French and Omni Television in Punjabi. These were the first Stanley Cup Finals under Rogers Communications' exclusive national broadcast rights to the NHL in Canada. This was the second-most watched Stanley Cup Finals on U.S. television since 1995, trailing only the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals with an average 3.2 Nielsen rating and 5.6 million viewers on NBC and NBCSN. Game six was seen by 7.6 million viewers nationally on NBC. Ratings for game six were especially strong in Chicago and Tampa Bay: it was the most-watched NHL broadcast locally in Chicago history, and the second-highest in Tampa Bay. By contrast, ratings in Canada dropped significantly, making it the lowest-rated Stanley Cup Final since 2009. Game six, facing competition from a Team Canada match in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and the Toronto Blue Jays (which had seen increased ratings due to a major winning streak) was the lowest-rated deciding NHL playoff game on Canadian television since the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. Category:Stanley Cup Finals Category:Stanley Cup Category:Chicago Blackhawks Category:Tampa Bay Lightning